1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a means to securely pad and protect one's shoulder and more particularly pertains to a new padded shoulder protection device for essentially protecting against micro-trauma to one's shoulder due to carrying objects on the shoulder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a means to securely pad and protect one's shoulder is known in the prior art. More specifically, a means to securely pad and protect one's shoulder heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,346; U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,268; U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,941; U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,611; U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,735; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,995.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new padded shoulder protection device. The inventive device includes a semi-flexible layered and padded member having four projecting portions, a neck-receiving edge, and further includes eight straps and four buckles with four of the straps being attached to respective projecting portions and the remaining four straps being attached either to a padded belt member or to four strap members with each strap member having a respective suspender-like clip attached thereto. The semi-flexible layered and padded member includes a layer of foam material, a layer of plastic material, and a layer of either rubber or leather.
In these respects, the padded shoulder protection device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of essentially protecting against micro-trauma to one's shoulder due to carrying objects on the shoulder.